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From the obscure to the obscurest to the merely overlooked or underappreciated; they all have a home in the TiVoPlex! All times Pacific.

Tuesday 6/15/10

5:15 PM IFC
Benny and Joon (1993 USA): It’s whimsical and rather hokey, but who can resist a film featuring Johnny Depp as the reincarnation of Buster Keaton? Such is Benny and Joon, a romantic comedy-drama in which the young Depp—fresh off his star-making turns in Edward Scissorhands and 21 Jump Street—portrays Sam, a quirky fellow who meets semi-cute with Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson), a schizophrenic who works through her issues by painting. Joon lives with brother Benny (Aidan Quinn), who loses at poker and, in lieu of cash money, must provide bed and board for a relative of the game winner. That relative is, of course, Sam, whose otherworldly ways immediately impress Joon. Love and family dissension inevitably follow. Co-starring a veritable cornucopia of indie film talent, including Dan Hedaya, C.C.H. Pounder, William H. Macy, Julianne Moore, and Oliver Platt (what? No Patricia Clarkson?), Benny and Joon airs again 6/16 at 2:05 AM.

5:30 PM Sundance
Addicted to Plastic (2008 CAN): I want to say one word to you. Just one word. Plastic. First synthesized by an American scientist 101 years ago, it's now one of the most common substances on the planet, and this National Film Board of Canada documentary takes a look at how this eco-unfriendly invention earned its ubiquity. The film takes us to the beautiful refuse lagoons of the Pacific Ocean, where thousands of old water bottles huddle together for warmth, and also examines how plastic is now as much a part of the food chain as baseball, Mom, and apple pie. Especially that slice of apple pie you got at the supermarket that came individually packaged in a clear plastic container. Also airs at 8:45 PM.

Wednesday 6/16/10

9:45 AM HBO Signature
Sultanes del Sur (2007 MEX-ARG): A gang of robbers transport their ill-gotten gains from Mexico to Argentina in this flashy but predictable crime drama. Screenwriter Tony Dalton stars as Carlos, one of a group of miscreants trying to exchange stolen dollars for pesos in the land of the pampas. When their parking-lot transaction goes sour and the loot is stolen by a mysterious third party, the gang get busy—if they don’t relocate the dollars, money launderer El Tejano (Celso Bugallo) will be very unhappy indeed. Sultanes del Sur is more style than substance, and frankly overlong even at ninety minutes, but this will probably be your only opportunity to see it.

5:35 PM Sundance
Wendy and Lucy (2008 USA): Or, A Girl and Her Dog. Michelle Williams, here looking totally different than she did in her Academy Award-nominated Brokeback Mountain performance, stars as Wendy, a young woman whose car breaks down on the way to her new job at an Alaskan fish cannery. To make matters worse, her only travelling companion, canine Lucy, soon goes missing when the doggie chow runs out. Stranded and alone in rural Oregon, Wendy attempts to locate her missing pooch whilst sleeping rough and trying to get her car fixed. For those who enjoyed director Kelly Reichardt’s previous film, Old Joy, Wendy and Lucy offers similar rewards: quality writing, excellent acting, and a hint of neo-realism. Also airs at 11:00 PM.

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